Zeffirelli Brands Mel Gibson's Passion Anti-Semitic; Calls Director “Bloodthirsty”

He doesn't claim to know the family personally...just the "family culture" whatever that means.

I would not be surprised if he had met the family given that Mel worked for him but he may not really know them well either. Does anyone here know them personally who is able to discuss it without betraying personal confidences ?

Since he's had a long and productive and successful career, and a good longterm marriage and what seem to be a lot of good kids, I have to think that he may just have some very bizarre affects, but is not actually bizarre.

I would not label it a good longterm marriage. I would label it a marriage that survived his sins. We don't need to go further than he did in the interview.

The point is he repented. He obtained help. That counts for something.

I want Mel to do well. I want him to be a good man, a good husband, a good father.

"I just didn't want to go on," he told Sawyer.

"Everyone's got something," he added. "I would get addicted to anything, anything at all. Okay? Doesn't matter what it is … drugs, booze, anything. You name it — coffee, cigarettes, anything. Alright? I'm just one of these guys who is like that. That's my flaw.

"I checked into a few places, and sorted myself out," Gibson said. "I didn't make a big noise about it. There's no point in doing that. You know? I mean, the real medal goes to my wife, who's a wonderful woman."

At his lowest, Gibson said he considered jumping out a window.

"I was looking down thinking, 'Man, this is just easier this way,' " he said. "You have to be mad, you have to be insane, to despair in that way. But that is the height of spiritual bankruptcy. There's nothing left."

The "spiritual bankruptcy" led him to reexamine Christianity, and ultimately to create The Passion of the Christ — "my vision … with God's help" of the final hours in the life of Jesus.

Jesus of Nazareth is the best movie on Christ that I have ever seen.

Zeffereli's take on this is hypocritcal as he too, like Gibson, is true to the Gospels. Zeff's movie also shows Jews doing the same thing that Gibson's movie does. It shows mass crowds gleefully calling for Christ's life and sparing the zealot.

As a matter of fact Zeffereli's movie, since it is pretty exhaustive shows many more such examples of Jews plotting to get Jesus.

Me thinks Zeffereli sees his own move possibly in competition with Gibson for best Christ movie. If he is not being mercenary he must be a simple hypocrite.

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